Posted on 08/16/2013 9:23:41 AM PDT by Baynative
This is a story of raw power, collusion and government corruption. A story that is taking place in countless towns all over America. A story of “reinvented” government, where self-proclaimed private “stakeholders” and pressure groups set the rules, local elected officials rubber stamp them, and non-elected regional governments enforce them, sometimes with an iron fist – all with no input from citizens, and apparently no rights for private citizens and property owners to stop them or even have a say.
(Excerpt) Read more at climatechangedispatch.com ...
"The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) has begun seizing people’s private property for its latest “essential” project – a $5-million bike path extension! It has seized almost all of Jennie’s front lawn. The bike path will come within just a few feet of her front door!"
I see a growing market for motion controlled sprinkler systems.
Bike Ping
This is my first dual ping list comment. As most folks know, I am a serious former competitive cyclist and an avid property rights advocate. So, I really get pissy when government oversteps it's bounds with the help of wankers I never appreciated in my training days.
I’d be sitting on my porch tossing sticks into the spokes of anyone riding through where my lawn was supposed to be.
The other day, in Seattle, I saw a gay spotted owl riding a solar powered bicycle with his husband to the hempfest celebration.
I feel so good about our future.
BIT BY BIT AND INCREMENTALLY THEY ARE ENCROACHING ON AMERICANS FREEDOMS AND RIGHTS. (RECENTLY THEY HAVE SPEEDED UP THEIR TAKE OVER PROGRAMING) THEY ARE SOCIALISTS, OMMUNISTS, AND HAVE NO INTENT ON STOPPING THE WORKING TOWARD THEIR GOALS.
THERE IS NO WAY TO ESCAPE WHAT IS HAPPENING EXCEPT THROUGH THE PROCESS OF RETURNING TO OUR CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT. SHAKE UP OUR REPRESENTAIVES IN WASHINGTON. BE VERY CLEAR. VOTE AGAINST ALL THIS SOCIALISM OR YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR POSITION. NOW!!! no MORE SECOND CHANCES. WE HAVE BEEN FAILED BY OUR SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN. MO.
Thanks for the ping! Had not realized you were a cyclist. Hats off to you! I barely can go a few miles without legs turning into noodles!
The problem here is that this project is no different at all in principle from seizing property for use as public roads, sidewalks or parks.
You may see less value in the project, but the principle is exactly the same.
The overwrought prose is kind of silly. How often do you think people are given a vote on whether they want a highway to cut through their neighborhood? Never. Yet if eminent domain were not used, no large or extensive public project could ever be built.
Which is not to say that every public project is a good idea. At least it appears this one will be a public bike path, which does indeed have a public use. It’s not the same as the government taking private property and giving it to others because they think they’ll pay more taxes.
Very interesting!
Had a Nishiki back in the day. (Not as fancy as yours.)
My new wife sold it (while I was out of town) at a garage sale for $25.
Arggh.
Here’s to the bicyclists smashing into that utility pole and suing the city for all it’s worth. Maybe they’ll move the path instead of the pole.
Here in my town (Jasper, Indiana) we had nearly the exact same situation. A bike path extension that was going to be paid for by this same Federal program. Problem was (as with all Federal monies) there were stipulations tied to the grants. In this case a minimum footage between the bike path and the street. I think it was 8 feet.
One of the homes along the route had minimal property between the house and the street and if the 8 foot space were maintained the value of the house would be destroyed. The Feds were encouraging the taking pointing out that the city could easily make it happen under EMINENT DOMAIN.
Pleased to say our Mayor (a democrat) said “no thanks “ and we were not going to do harm to a home owner over something like this.
The extension was built with city parks money. The space regulations were ignored so that the path was built in a way to do little harm to the property and the homeowner ended up getting one of the nicest driveways I ever saw, complements of the city.
And that’s how it’s supposed to work.
Insanity like that is exactly why, when I retired, I bought 15 acres of pine forest out in the country in South Carolina and had a house built in the middle of it.
I'm not bragging, just giving my solution to this nuttiness.
The ‘Spandex, Brie and White Wine Crowd’ in ‘The People’s Republik of Madistan’ have not started seizing private property for their bike paths - yet - but it’s coming!
Another thread from a few days ago about this extension;
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/3054309/posts?
Expanding the roadways to include designated bike lanes is happening in many locales I believe, be it good or bad.
Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission bikeway projects:
I bet most Freepers who own cars are happy enough to have roads built, even when those roads require the government to buy people’s land, or take their front yards to widen the streets so the Freepers can get to work a little quicker.
Like it or not, a bicycle is as much of a mode of transportation as a car, and if you think the government has the right to take private land to widen a road, then you have no argument against government taking private land to build a road for bicycles.
Well, except for the usage argument, maybe (usage of bike paths is so low in many cases the eminent domain used to seize the land and construction costs can not possibly be justified -- the paths are more of a vanity statement by the local government than a transportation right-of-way).
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